Promise Jewelry

- The Gift Of A Promise

There's nothing like a gift of jewelry to delight a woman. You can find jewelry selections to give for a birthday, or wedding day. Then of course there's Valentine's Day jewelry, anniversary jewelry, holiday jewelry, or promise jewelry - just because you love her, and she loves jewelry and you!

Jewelry & Promise Ring History

People ask what the history of promise rings is. Where do they come from? How did they get here, and why do I have to buy one for my girl?

So if you're confused about promise rings let me take you back a couple of years. Let me take you back to Marc Anthony.

So Marc Anthony, he says, "I would like to conquer the world because its there. I own Rome. Now Greece. What about Egypt? I think that's just what I'll do, OK."

So here is Marc Anthony, he goes down to Egypt. What's so special about Egypt? For Marc Anthony, it was a way to finance his armies, through Cleopatra. For us, in Egypt's history are the earliest anecdotes that we have of rings.

The Egyptians believed that the ring - and this is not a promise ring, but all rings: The ring is a never-ending circle, which is a never-ending circle of love. And there is a doorway between, where you go from the known, one side of the door, to the unknown. 

So when you put the ring on your finger you're going from 'before' to 'after' - before the promise, to after the promise. Right. So lets continue on, so, OK. Here we go - here is Cleopatra, enter stage left.

"Hey guys what's going on? I love all of you, all (and I want to be Empress of the World)."

OK, she is down in Egypt, all right. So Marc Anthony thinks Cleopatra is kind of cute - she is blue-blooded, and puts on a grand show of finery. I mean listen to that voice, feel that charisma and charm (and look at the wealth!). Ok. So he heads on down. He gets on his stead, "I have my stead here." Marc Anthony gets on his horse (music playing). (That's not really pillage and carnage music OK.)

So he heads on down with all of his troops, because he wants to conquer. Well when he gets down there, and she is kind of cute, kind of fine. So what happens is they hook up.

In Ancient Egypt, engagement rings (as we know them) were said to have originated. The Egyptians thought that the ring finger on the left hand was connected to the heart by a vein. So, it was a powerful declaration to wear a ring on this finger, and to give such a ring to another.

So when Marc Anthony established himself in Egypt and hooked up with Cleopatra. What do you think happened? Do you think Cleopatra wanted some bling on her finger? I think so. Although, in those days in Egypt, the ring was usually woven from rush leaves. I think Cleopatra would have much preferred today's fashions for promise jewelry.

Marc Anthony married Cleopatra (he also had a Roman wife, but that's another story). In Rome also, there was a tradition of Roman men giving the women they wanted to be with, to claim, a truth ring. From this early history, rings in particular started to carry emotional significance, although any jewelry can be used to convey a promise.

We're not really in Rome anymore - things are a little more globalized - but this was part of the tradition from which promise jewelry emerged. 

Promise Rings - A Symbol Of Love

A promise ring can also symbolize other emotions and promises; quite often a promise ring will be exchanged between friends or family members as a gesture of love and a promise of eternal friendship.

It is important when offering a promise ring to someone that you both understand the meaning of the promise in question, you do not want to give a male friend a promise ring based on a promise of friendship and they think it is a promise of marriage.

If the promise ring is for engagement one of the advantages is this type of ring will be considerably lower in price than a normal engagement ring. If the Promise ring is for a man then it is important to choose a metal that is going to both suit the wearer and last a long time.

Titanium is a popular choice of men's promise rings because this type of metal is strong and durable but also light in weight. A titanium promise ring will retain its shape and is also biocompatible which mean it will be less likely to cause any skin irritations should the receiver have sensitive skin. 

Titanium will not rust or discolor and its strength makes it a more masculine metal which is perfect if the promise ring is intended for a man

There is no rule when it comes to which finger a promise ring should be worn, generally speaking if the promise is of engagement then the ring is worn on the left hand and then moved to the right hand once the wedding has taken place. If the ring is for friendship then the right hand will avoid any confusion of romantic ties between the giver and receiver.

There are many styles of promise rings, your budget and the promise itself will determine which type of ring you chose, if it is for engagement you may consider a diamond promise ring if the ring is a simple promise of friendship then a pain ring with the word friendship engraved on it may suit you batter.

Which ever type of ring you decide on make sure than when you give it to someone they understand the meaning, maybe adding a little note or card in the ring box explaining what promise you are making will avoid any confusion.